What to Look Out for in Buying a Placenta Extract Supplementtech2020-06-05T17:06:54+08:00

What to look out for when buying a placenta supplement?

With a wide variety of placental extract supplements in the market, the 3 most important criteria to look out for when purchasing a placental extract supplement are:

• Safety

• Extraction Process & Efficacy

• Source of Placenta

1. Safety

Safety is of top priority when it comes to consumption of placenta extract. Several studies have found that placentas were contaminated with infectious agents, as well as heavy metals, such as selenium, cadmium, mercury and lead.

Since the placenta is not sterile, there is a potential for transmitting infectious agents, including bacteria and viruses, to be present within the placenta. These could cause infection and hence, pose a risk for illness if consumed. In addition, the preparation of placenta extract may inadvertently introduce infectious agents.

Heating to a high temperature helps eliminate any potentially infectious pathogens. However, heating would also probably eliminate any potential benefits which come from bioactive compounds (most of them are heat-sensitive). Hence, practising the highest safety standard while preserving bioactive compounds is of utmost important. Besides infections, there is also a potential risk from other toxic substances. In view of these, it is crucial to look for placenta extracts that are approved by authorities.

Approved by Japan Health & Nutrition Food Association Authority, Le Ageless is developed under stringent quality control and safety standards. Besides, Le Ageless is manufactured in a facility in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practise (GMP) standards. Furthermore, the placenta used for extraction of bioactive peptides is the first mammal placenta approved for use in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, in accordance to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, Japan. Supported by more than 40 years in placenta research, Le Ageless has no known side effects. It is trusted by leading anti-ageing clinics in Japan and consumers can rest assured that Le Ageless is totally safe and highly effective with high concentration of bioactive compounds.

2. Extraction Process & Efficacy

Placenta has many components, including bioactive peptides, enzymes, growth factors, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. However, the technology and filtration used in the extraction process largely determines the amount and purity of bioactive compounds, which in turn determines the efficacy of the placental extract.

Generally, placenta extracts are extracted using freeze-thaw or acid hydrolysis process. Freeze-thaw process results in extraction of small amounts bioactive compounds; while acid used in the acid hydrolysis process can result in degradation of extracted bioactive compounds. Both drawbacks would affect the efficacy and thus, the full benefits of placental extract.

a Extraction was carried out at low temperature to preserve maximal intact bioactive compounds, leading to high efficacy

b Crude extraction was most likely carried out at high temperature, which could degrade bioactive compounds, leading to low efficacy.

Danger of hormone therapy

While hormone therapy helps many women get through menopause, this treatment is not totally risk-free. According to Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study (one of the largest studies on hormone therapy), postmenopausal women taking combination (estrogen and progestin) hormone therapy for menopause symptoms had an increased risk for breast cancer, heart disease, stroke, blood clots, and urinary incontinence. Despite the fact that women undergoing hormone therapy had a lower risk of fractures and colorectal cancer, the health risks outweigh these benefits. Hence, many women stopped taking hormone therapy, which reduces their risk for breast cancer. Nowadays, the FDA urges women who undergo hormone therapy to take the lowest helpful dose for the shortest period of time. To be on the safe side, always look for placental extract that is free of hormones.

3. Sources of Placenta

With all kinds of placenta available in the market, it is mind boggling to choose the best source of placenta. The nutritional qualities of placenta are crucial to evaluating its potential as a raw material for extraction. Recently, porcine placental extract has been developed as an oral supplement for use instead of human placenta extract1. Placenta from porcine is very similar to human placenta. Research found that freeze-dried porcine placentas contain equal or higher nutritive properties, when compared to human placenta2. Studies have shown that porcine placental extract reduced shoulder stiffness, knee pain, postmenopausal climacteric symptoms, fine wrinkles below the eye, and protect against skin photoaging3,4,5,6,7,8.

Le Ageless is made with superior Bioactive Placenta Peptides. This premium source of placenta was selected from specialised hygiene management farm in Japan. This is also the first placenta source approved for use in Japan. Le Ageless is manufactured in compliance with the quality standard of placenta food stipulated by Japan Health Food Association.

Compared to placenta supplements sourced from other animal species, Le Ageless is a safer and more potent option:

*Medical details are required by Japanese food regulators for their approval process, and only pig and horse placenta have been able to do so. Hence, they have been approved as genuine health foods in Japan, but not placenta from other sources, including sheep and deer.